House passes Rigell's offshore drilling amendment

The waters off Virginia's coast could eventually reopen for oil and gas development after the U.S. House of Representatives approved a plan Thursday that would open a vast stretch of the outer continental shelf to offshore drilling.

The measure was proposed by Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Virginia Beach, as a "job-creating amendment" to the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act of 2012. It passed by a 248-163 vote in the GOP-controlled House.

"We must move America toward that 'all of the above' energy strategy that President Obama spoke of in his State of the Union Address," Rigell said in a prepared statement, "and we must do it in an environmentally responsible way."

Obama scuttled Virginia's plan to become the first East Coast state to allow offshore drilling after the devastating 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The bill to grant leases to develop offshore oil and gas now goes to the Democrat-controlled Senate, where it faces an uncertain future. A similar measure by Virginia Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner, both Democrats, is stalled in committee.

The House bill also includes a measure from Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, to streamline the permit process for offshore wind power development.

Rigell cites industry studies that project oil and gas development off the coast could create up to 18,000 jobs by 2030.

Environmentalists in Virginia have opposed offshore drilling, citing the risk of a "perfect storm spill" that could counter any economic benefit, damage a fragile and vital marine ecosystem, and impact commercial fisheries and tourism.

The U.S. Navy has cited concerns that drilling platforms could interfere with military training exercises.

An earlier version of Rigell's bill called for half of the millions of dollars in projected revenue from offshore drilling to go to the commonwealth. That provision was missing from the final version.

Federal officials have resisted revenue-sharing, since drilling would occur in federal waters about 50 miles off Virginia's coast.